The American Cancer Society says that in 2025, there will be approximately 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer and 35,770 deaths from it. Prostate cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer, leading many of us to ask: Can you cure prostate cancer? This blog will answer that question and more. Learn about the various stages of this cancer, methods to diagnose it, and what treatment can look like.

Can Prostate Cancer Be Cured?

While we can't say that any type of cancer is completely curable for everyone (since there are so many variables at play), we can say that if it's caught early, prostate cancer is very treatable. The odds of your prostate cancer treatment being successful are even higher if the cancer cells haven't yet spread beyond the prostate gland.

What About Advanced Prostate Cancer?

What if you don't start treatment for prostate cancer until after the cancer cells have developed and started to spread? We call this metastatic prostate cancer, meaning the prostate cancer cells have broken away from the original tumor and have spread beyond the prostate.

Metastatic prostate cancer is not curable, and treating advanced prostate cancer will likely be less successful compared to early stage prostate cancer. However, treatment can still help manage the spread of your prostate cancer, alleviate symptoms, and improve your overall quality of life.

Success Rates of Cancer Treatment

Here's some good news: Roughly 80% to 85% of all cases of prostate cancer are detected when it's still localized in the prostate. This means that the prostate cancer cells have not yet broken away, and you're not dealing with metastatic prostate cancer. Many men who get treatment for early stage prostate cancer will be disease-free after five years.

In fact, generally speaking, the prognosis for prostate cancer is the best compared to all cancers.

If you don't catch prostate cancer early on and are dealing with advanced prostate cancer, the average survival rate after five years is about 28%.

This is why prostate cancer screening is a must. More on that in a moment!

What Increases Your Prostate Cancer Risk?

Out of all the potential risk factors, the biggest, by far, is age. The older you get, the more high-risk you are. Other risk factors may include ethnicity and having a family history of prostate cancer.

How Do You Diagnose Prostate Cancer?

There are several things your healthcare provider may do to determine if you have prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Screening

A prostate health panel is a simple blood test that checks your prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free and total. It measures the proteins that the prostate gland is producing, and can help in the early detection of prostate cancer. A high level of PSA in your blood could potentially be a sign of prostate cancer, but do note that it does not automatically mean you have cancer! Other conditions can cause a high PSA.

Screening is done for people who don't have any symptoms but want to be proactive about their health. The recommended age to start screening for prostate cancer is around 50, and it should be done every two to three years. If you are at a high risk, your provider may recommend that you start earlier and undergo screening more frequently.

eNational Testing provides the results of this blood test within one business day. We have more than 2,700 locations nationwide and accept same-day appointments. Find a testing center near you.

Digital Rectal Exam

Prostate cancer screening is sometimes done alongside a manual exam that allows the provider to better evaluate the prostate gland, particularly checking for enlargement, lumps or hardening of the prostate gland

Biopsy

A biopsy involves removing a small tissue sample from the prostate gland, which is then sent to a lab. Biopsies are the only way to definitively determine if there are cancer cells present.

Imaging Tests

The previous methods are adequate for investigating early stage prostate cancer. However, if it's developed beyond the prostate gland and your provider needs to determine what stage you're at, they may recommend a bone scan, a tomography scan, or a PET scan. These look for cancer cells in the rest of your body.

What Are Your Treatment Options?

Your prostate cancer treatment plan will depend on the size of the tumor, how fast it's growing, and whether it's already spread beyond the prostate gland. Your overall health will also be taken into consideration by the treating clinician.

That said, prostate cancer surgery, medication, and radiation therapy are all options.

Prostate cancer surgery usually entails removing the prostate gland, a procedure called a prostatectomy. Normally, this is done only for localized prostate cancer. There are various types of prostate cancer surgery, including laparoscopic prostatectomy, robotic prostatectomy, and open prostatectomy.

Medications for prostate cancer treatment include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Don't Wait—Get Ahead of Screening

While most prostate cancers are caught early enough to treat, that's no reason to gamble! Reducing your prostate cancer risk means getting screened on schedule. Talk to your provider about what this looks like for you, based on any potential risk factors.

When you're ready, find a testing center near you and book your appointment with eNational Testing. Should you have follow-up questions after receiving your test results, you can speak with one of our knowledgeable clinicians about the next steps.